Tipsheet

Poll: Voter Enthusiasm Drops, Democrats Least Eager

More than half of registered voters claim they are "less enthusiastic about voting than in previous elections," according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

This statistic is the polar opposite of the 2010 midterm election poll, which showed that 53 percent of voters were more eager to hit the polls than in previous years. The change this year hit Democrats hardest of all, according to Gallup:

Among registered voters, 42% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents currently say they are more enthusiastic than usual about voting, while 50% are less enthusiastic, resulting in an eight-point enthusiasm deficit. But Democrats are even less enthusiastic, with a 23-point deficit (32% more enthusiastic vs. 55% less enthusiastic).

The more zealous party typically fares better in midterm elections, the poll stated. Democrats took control of the House in 2006 when the poll leaned 52/41 in their favor. Republicans took the House in 2010 when the poll results leaned in their favor 62/44.

Nate Silver, a statistician who almost perfectly predicted the 2008 and 2012 elections, has calculated that the GOP has a 60 percent chance of taking over the Senate this year.